THE ‘GILMORE GIRLS’ 25 YEARS LATER LEGACY: AN ANNIVERSARY LIST

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When it comes to Gilmore Girls, I’m sure we all know who they are even if we don’t know them. While only fictional characters living in the idyllic Stars Hollow, to many, they are also fun characters who present relatable personalities. The show, which ran for seven original seasons (the last of which people like to pretend didn’t exist) and had a revival on Hulu, celebrates a milestone legacy this year and so to keep this in mind, we look at Gilmore Girls 25 years later, and what impact it has on me and also, just remembering for the fun of it all!

the STORY

Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel play mother and daughter over the entire course of the show. Graham plays Lorelai Gilmore, the daughter of wealthy parents who had her daughter out of wedlock and as a teen which appalled her proper mother Emily, a woman who wanted Lorelai to be the ideal debutante daughter. Though named after her mother, Bledel’s daughter goes by Rory and plays a studious “good girl” who finds herself in the middle of a quad (?) kind of love story for a short while and then a triangle. This was with her childhood boyfriend Dean; her college beau Logan; and the back-and-forth she shares with the nephew of the local diner owner (who also may be Lorelai’s best match), Jess.

This is the story and it’s one I am sure all of us know. Let’s talk about this WB (which we now know as The CW) dramedy and what is special about it.

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GILMORE GIRLS, 25 years later

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THE AUTUMN COZY

This show is definitely the kind of warm sweater feels that inspires countless fans to rewatch the show ever time the first crisp leaf falls. As Lorelai would say, it’s the kind of show that just smells like snow. This is a show I didn’t see at the height of its popularity because it was on during a time when I was outside, “touching grass” as the kids today would say, rather than watching others live on a screen, I was often outside or playing a game. So I binged it way past the “cool” mark. The show definitely projects those cozy feels and can feel like the coziest, warmest and favorite sweater all rolled into one. 

THE ‘GILMORE GIRLS’ 25 YEARS LATER LEGACY: AN ANNIVERSARY LIST. Celebrating the (almost) 25th anniversary of #GilmoreGirls! #RoryGilmore #RoryandDean #RoryandJess #RoryandLogan #LorelaiandLuke #EmilyGilmore Share on X

THE GIRLS 

Of course, the title, as is easy to understand, is all about the girls of this show. Or that is what we have to believe. They are the central people in the story, however, the men in their respective lives play important roles too. But we shall talk about them later on. Still, the girls are memorable and charming and interesting. I don’t always like them because they make silly mistakes, which one forgives easily until they repeat make these choices. Still, they are delightful characters, and they each have opportunities to help each other see their respective errors at different points in their lives. 

THE GUEST STARS

The number of impressive guest stars or recurring stars in this dramedy is solid. From stars like Adam Brody (now famous for Nobody Wants This) and Max Greenfield to Arielle Kebbel (recently from Rescue: Hi-Surf and Hallmark alumni) and Krysten Ritter, there were some impressive names!

Plus, it’s safe to say this show was the launching pad for stars like Melissa McCarthy, Jared Padalecki to Alexis Bledel.

THE HATE

This isn’t a gee-I-like-this heading topic, but just a memory I have of the show and its social media opinions. I honestly don’t get the hate some viewers direct towards certain characters. Every show has to put up with this (including a certain one that just ended) but honestly, why? Some of the hate just doesn’t make sense.

THE MEN

When it comes down to it, the men on this show drive people to arguments and have lots of annoyance over some people’s perspective on why they like one guy versus the other. In Rory’s life people despise Dean, the high school boyfriend whom Rory breaks with and then reunites with. Logan is her college dude whom people loathe. I get it but also have a weird soft spot for him; I think he is 100% entitled, but he’s the kind of character who knows he is, and he doesn’t hide this. There is also Tristan (whom Chad Michael Murray plays) who appears for a handful of episodes that she has a flirtation with. Generally liked is Jess, a newcomer to Stars Hollow, he’s Rory’s (according to the consensus) Conrad in this scenario. For Loralai there is also a trio of men. One she becomes engaged to (and I did like) but they break things off and Rory finds it odd to have her mother date a teacher. There is Rory’s father Christopher and of course, Luke, the local diner owner who loves Lorelai through the good and bad. 

Finally, there is Richard Gilmore, the steady and good-hearted man in the lives of these Gilmore women; he’s a husband, father and grandfather and they really don’t deserve him. 

STARS HOLLOW

The setting of Gilmore Girls is one of the most charming things about the show. It sets the entire stage of what the show is and its look. I’m not a “normal” viewer in the sense of liking only “small town” settings (in fact I typically prefer the opposite of what I see all the time) but it’s hard to deny that Stars Hollow (can we talk about how sweet the name is?) is also its own character in the legacy that is Gilmore Girls.

Love Lists? Search our archives of character and film/TV lists. Love Gilmore Girls? Read our Is Emily Gilmore Right? editorial feature or look back at our archive review of Gilmore Girls!

See Gilmore Girls now currently airing weekdays on Hallmark Channel; or stream, at publication, the show with Netflix or Hulu. You can also shop for DVD copies on places like Amazon.

What do you love about this show? Do you have any Gilmore Girls 25 years later memories to share? What things do you remember or were you more of a newcomer like me? Comment all of your thoughts below.

Photos: Alamy Stock Photos

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